Two-three clergy sex abuse victims who belong to a support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org)

WHY

Controversial Bishop Robert Finn’s KC Catholic diocese is in the midst of its annual fundraising appeal. Yet SNAP believes Finn is wasting money and is considering seeking bankruptcy protection. His goal, they contend, is to prevent discovery and trials that would expose more wrongdoing by Finn and his top aides.

At least two dozen pending clergy sex abuse and cover up cases are pending. Some involve recent crimes and other misdeeds regarding Fr. Shawn Ratigan and could prove to be very expensive and embarrassing for top local KC Catholic officials.

In light of these facts, SNAP fears that Finn may soon seek Chapter 11 protection.

SNAP contends that Finn has wasted and is wasting funds in various ways. (At one court hearing last week, for instance, ten defense lawyers appeared to represent church officials. And in September, Finn announced he’d spent $1.39 million defending himself and his diocese in just one criminal case.)

But SNAP seriously doubts that the diocese is hurting financially. Until Finn “truly comes clean” about all church finances – stocks, bonds, property, insurance coverage and other assets – SNAP feels it is naïve for parishioners and the public to believe any cries of “poverty” by church officials.

The group feels that talk of “tough finances” by church officials is often “posturing” designed to deter victims from coming forward and tricking victims in litigation into settling for small sums.

If the diocese becomes short on funds, SNAP believes Finn should exhaust all other means of raising or borrowing money to resolve the clergy sex abuse cases. (In 2002, Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law borrowed millions from a fraternal Catholic men’s group to settle with hundreds of victims.)

SNAP wants Finn to (1) let truly independent auditors examine church finances, (2) if need be, borrow and raise additional funds to fairly resolve all sex abuse cases, and, (3) if he’s considering Chapter 11, to hold open public meetings in each region (“deaneries”) across the diocese, giving Catholics an opportunity to voice their concerns about the process.

Other dioceses have sought bankruptcy protection, including Phoenix, Spokane, Davenport and San Diego. The Milwaukee archdiocese is in Chapter 11 right now.

Last year, the New York-based Christian Brothers, a large Catholic religious order, became the latest Catholic institution to declare bankruptcy, in response to clergy sex abuse and cover up cases in Washington state.

SNAP is like a guy who just had the shit kicked out of him and then tries to pick a fight again while the guy is walking away.SNAP is nothing but pimps for law firms. Did the asbestos suits not pay enough?

Good for SNAP. At least some organization is standing up to these perverts and pervert protectors.Start making them start selling off the millions of dollars of real estate that they own in this town.How long are catholics going to put up with this idiot,Finn?

I'm not wild about SNAP or their methods but Finn is one evil son of a bitch who doesn't care about the Church, its members, or the children he failed to protect. Robert Finn cares only about Robert Finn. If the Pope doesn't get this cancerous piece of shit bishop out if our church, the diocese will probably indeed go bankrupt from lack of donations because of disgust for Finn and legal bills to defend these perverts. Finn needs to go out of the clergy ASAP. He can go to Hell after he dies.

Finn is a convicted pedophile, nothing more. Oh wait, you don't call the getaway driver a bank robber, just the triggerman? I can't speak for SNAP one way or another, other than to say they aren't a bunch of known pedophiles, like the priests and bishop of KC/St. Joe.

Really? Didn't David Clohessy fail to call the cops on his priest-brother? Didn't Barbara Blaine write a glowing letter of praise before he was sentenced for child porn on behalf of their "go-to" psychologist?

Doesn't that, by your very definition, make the top two principals of SNAP pedophiles as well?

Father O'Malley was getting new tires on the parish minivan. When the tire man gave him the keys, he asked: "Are those tires on tight me boy?" The man answered: "Padre, them tires are on tighter than an alter boy’s asshole." Father O’Malley replied: "In that case me boy, would tighten them a wee bit more?"

It's pretty tiresome listening to the apologists attack SNAP, as if that changes anything. If David Clohessy failed to report a crime, he is a criminal. If Barbara Blaine wrote in defense of a child porn downloader, she is a hypocrite. Okay, now that we've covered that, back to the subject at hand, the CRIMINAL PEDOPHILE ROBERT FINN. Let's hear your defense of why my children were knowingly and repeatedly put in contact with two different accused pedophiles. And why the head of this criminal enterprise spent tens to hundreds of thousands of our dollars to defend himself from prison, while running the diocese into bankruptcy. Well? I'm waiting.

My point was that SNAP isn't the issue, and accusing them is an intentional strategy to divert attention. And I did not agree with those accusations; I merely acknowledged my willingness to support justice wherever justice applies, based on where the facts lead. Hence the "if"s. Sooooo, back to the CRIMINAL PEDOPHILE ROBERT FINN...still waiting.

Contact

Search TKC Archives

Subscribe To

Disclaimer

If believe you are the owner of a photo shared on TKC please send me a message and I will gladly provide credit or remove the image. Also . . . If you have a problem with something I've written then send an e-mail and we can discuss it further.

Additionally . . .

Please refrain from reading this blog if you don't have a sense of humor and a good looking mother.